None of us is born thinking we are ordinary. Feeling special is an essential part of the human
birthright. If you don’t think you are special, you won’t seek
to contribute your gift to the world. -Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. ~Michel de Montaigne

Good morning!

Today is the start of another awesome week (Must be positive here!) and also the start of another Clean and Simple Challenge at the Outlawz!

This week, we are "Thankful for You!"

We, none of us, can never say thank you enough to family, friends, strangers.

This is another card that I made for an Honors Flight to Washington D.C.

It was so gratifying to make the earlier cards that I wanted to do it again so I contacted Kathy Mansur, the Veteran Coordinator for the Honor Flight Southern Arizona Chapter and she readily accepted my offer to make and send thank you cards!

I was in the nick of time too. They had one last flight leaving this year before they shut down until Spring and I had a little over one week to make 25 cards and get them mailed off to her.

I am looking forward to Spring when the flights start up again so that I can do this again.

If you live in Arizona and are interested in sending thank you cards here is the contact information for Kathy ... tmansur@honorflightsaz.org

Monday, November 24, 2014

One
advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls
out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.

~Judith
Viorst

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary and I will be the first to admit that marriage is not for the faint of heart.

For one thing, it's not just about you anymore!

It's about living with another human being 24/7 and sharing the bed covers on a cold night!

It is seeing each other at our worst and still loving each other ... and just as important ... still liking each other.

It's learning to communicate and compromise with each other when we'd rather not.

Marriage is tough enough on a good day, but especially so when you really don't know how they are supposed to work .. right?

My parents divorced when I was quite young. Both remarried and the step-parents were not overly fond of having my two older brothers and myself underfoot, especially when they had kids of their own from previous marriages. To that end, my mom's second marriage only lasted around 5 years and we just never had much contact with our father over the years.

My only clue to marriage longevity was my mom's parents. It was obvious they loved each other, but that was the extent of it. However, it was enough for me to know that was the type of marriage I wanted for myself. Consequently, while most of my friends were marrying out of high school, I was in my early twenties before I agreed to say "I do".

My husband was luckier ... while his parents divorced when he was young, his mother eventually remarried an incredible man who took on the raising of two children as his own. I adore my "step" father-in-law. He is most awesome!

Our marriage has had it share if highs and lows, like most relationship. Divorce has come up several times over the last 29 years and only once was it a very real consideration but we managed to work out, but it was a tough time for both of us and something we are still working through ...

Has it been worth it? all the struggles, the arguments, the second guessing of the relationship ...

I have to say yes - yes it has.

Because we have two awesome kids that we raised together under one roof, there have been more highs than lows, more huggles than struggles and we are closer now than ever. We talk and plan more about our future together and we genuinely enjoy each others company.

I truly look forward to the years I have left with the love of my life.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

It is the life of the crystal, the architect
of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter
air is full of it. ~John Burroughs, "Winter Sunshine"

Good morning!

I imagine many of you are are fretting over the amount of snow piling up on your lawns.

Me ... not so much - more like the leaves falling off my tree.

I live in the "Valley of the Sun" ... getting snow here is a rare event.

I grew up in house at the base of South Mountain and I only recall a couple of times that it was cold enough that the snow not only fell but stayed long enough for us to trek up the hill and play awhile.

These days - if we want a snow fix, we gotta head up North ... or I make snowmen outta paper!

Today is the start of a new Clean & Simple Challenge at The Outlawz!

As Lynn asks don't we all love the Bling in some form or another? Sooooo our challenge this week is to added glitz and glimmer to our cards or projects while still keeping in CAS!

Here's my card

I have to admit - the snow peeples are not of my making. They were a gift and I thought they were perfect for this challenge because of all the lovely glitter on them!

Sunday, November 16, 2014

I've
got a dream too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy.
That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with.
--- Kermit The Frog

Good morning my crafty peeps!

A new day - A new CAS challenge at the Outlawz. and it's MOVIE NIGHT!

We all have those absolute favorite movies. You know the one I'm talking about ... we can watch them over and over .... and over. We laugh, we get mad, we cry and sigh ... always at the same places. They bring back memories and smiles no matter how messed up our day has been!

Released in 1954 (quite a few years before I was born - ahem) I remember watching this movie every time it was on the Saturday afternoon matinee on TV!

I would leave my friends house to make it home in time to watch this one!

Such a fun movie full of singing and dancing. I remember laughing as I watched poor Milly cope with a new husband and 6 outrageous brother-in-laws. She proves herself to be no push over either even though she is outnumbered and out-sized by all that testosterone!

I never get tired of watching it even to this day.

So ... here is the card I made based on my favorite movie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Spoiler alert!

It's a wedding card ...

LOL

Card size is 5 x 7

I made the sides of "film strip" with a small border punch I have. I stamped my image 8 times ... one to color and 7 times (get it?) to cut in 1"x 1" squares to look like film clips. I colored the main image with my Prisma color pencils and a alcohol blender pen and added liquid pearls to the frame for accents and attached to the card with foam dimensionals. The dress I painted with Smooch to give it a nice glimmer but try as I might I just could not get a good picture of it so you'll just have to take my word for it!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Sometimes you will never
know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Dr. Seuss

Good evening ....

I made this card for my niece ...

I am so proud of her and the person she is growing into.

She has a sweet heart and a ready smile and will do great things with her life out there in the world.

I have to say though, her confirmation was quite an emotional day for me.

... watching her stand there in front of the congregation taking ownership of her baptism and making her faith commitment to Christ, the Church, her family and herself.

I remember standing there at the front of that same church almost 16 years ago holding her little wee self in my arms while the pastor baptized and blessed her. I remember feeling as though I was being baptized all over again myself.

I felt such a deep connection with that baby I held in my arms start that day and although not mine, she became mine.

From that moment in time, she claimed and moved into a huge piece of my heart.

I often wonder if Joseph felt the same way the night Mary gave birth to Jesus and he held a child not his.

Did his heart open wide to take in that moment and that child?

Not because he was commanded too, but because his heart said, "Yes! This child is as much yours as any child from you - hold him, teach him ... love him ... always."

I like to think so

My card here is 5 x 7 in size.

I heat embossed the image onto watercolor paper. I misted it few times, then starting laying down colors with my crayons and water where needed for more blending. After it was dry, I took a tissue and lightly wiped away any residual watercolor from the image.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Another glorious day to be alive isn't it? Another day to hug the ones you love, forgive the ones that hurt you and make amends to the ones you have hurt.

November is traditionally a time of Thanksgiving in the United States, but I think it's something we should do every day of the year, regardless of where we live.

We all have someone that we owe a bit a gratitude to ... that teacher who gave your child a little extra one on one time. The co-worker that covered for you at the last minute. Maybe the neighbor who fed your cat, walked your dog and watered your plants while you were out of town.

Just remember!

"Feeling Gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Arthur Ward

Today is my posting day for The Outlawz Clean and Simple challenge and I would really like to see your CAS Thank you cards or projects this week.

My card is going to someone that possibly saved my mothers life...

My Mom lives some distance away so it is not possible for me to just drop by and check on her. But I do try and call her if not every day, at least every other day.

Recently she fell very ill and didn't tell me just how sick she was because she did not want to worry me (so like a mom right?!). A friend happened to stop by the house to check on her and found her in bed, almost too weak to stand.

The friend immediately called me to let me know that she and her husband were getting Mom to the emergency room and we were to meet them there.

Mom was lucky - She had not eaten anything in close to a week and could not keep fluids down. She was critically dehydrated and after several tests, it was determined she had a extremely bad case of salmonella poisoning.

She spent almost a week in the hospital recovering and it now home sassy as ever!

I really believe that if it has been one more day, we might not have been so fortunate!

So I am very grateful because my Mom is all I have left ... My dad and two older brothers are deceased ... and while I know that eventually she will also pass, I'm really not prepared to let her go just yet no matter how much we argue! LOL

A new challenge week started at Through The Craft Room Door and our Sponsor this week is That Craft Place!'

And I am using this adorable Halloween Kitty Image called Twixie!

Card size is sA2

After printing Twixie on white card stock, I colored her up with my trusty Prisma color pencils and OMS. Then I glittered up her fur some. I fussy cut her out and attached her to the card with foam dimensionals. Added a Bit-O-Bling for the spider friend. The little bats are actually the leftovers from a bat border punch I have.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

"The purpose of life is to live it, to
taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer
and richer experience.”―Eleanor Roosevelt

Good Morning!

This is a month of new beginnings for me! I am so excited ...

On November 1st, 2014, I officially took over ownership of Through The Craft Room Door Magazine and Challenge Blog from Colleen Holmes, a very talented lady who worked hard to make the magazine the success it is today.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Just
remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. ~Charles Schulz

Good Morning!

Today is the start of another Clean and Simple Challenge at The Outlawz!

Charlene celebrates a birthday this month so she is asking us to make Winter Birthday cards or projects!

What's funny is that I too have a winter birthday ... coming up next month actually ... so one would think this would be an easy card for me to make but not so much ... took me a good week to come up with this one ... I can't tell you how many I started and tossed ... *sigh* ... but I happened to be rifling through my embossing folders for yet another idea when I came across the snowman and the little light bulb over my head flashed on! (that happens now and again - sometimes it startles me!)

Quick and sweet - love this card and I hope Charlene does too because this is going out in the mail to her!

Translate

Pages

Cards for Little Hearts Card Drive

March-April 2018 Magazine

March-April 2018 Teaster

Thank you for your consideration

All contents and designs are mine unless otherwise noted. My projects are not to be submitted and/or used in any written publication, advertisement or contest without my knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at cdmalmrose@gmail.com

November 2017

Cards for Little Hearts

November 2016

November 2015

Disclaimer

In simple terms, this site is all about me and was created as an outlet for me to express myself through my crafts and thoughts.

The opinions expressed here belong to Me, Myself & I.

Anything on this site is provided for your information only and does not constitute advice in any way, shape or form.

On occasion, I am provided products for advertising purposes only. Not for resale nor for profit. If I do recommend a product and provide a link to where that product can be purchase or obtained, I give no assurance or warranty regarding the product in accuracy, timeliness, suitability or application. In other words, you are on your own if you have a problem with the product and/or supplier.

I use unbranded products, including dies and stamps on many of my cards. Those items are generally not noted in the supply list. If I give the name of the product/manufacturer, that means I own the branded item. If I list something as Stash, then that means I probably don't remember where I got the product. Like most crafters, I have a drawer full of embellishments and ribbons that are not in the original packaging for various and sundry reasons.

Please note that I moderate all incoming comments. Spam, abusive and anonymous comments will be not be tolerated and will be reported if necessary.